Focusing on migrants, growth -Gentiloni (8)

Not interested in models, but expansive policies

(ANSA) - Rome, September 29 - Premier Paolo Gentiloni said in
Tallinn Friday that "we are concerned that the EU ambition is
above all in the management of security, in migratory issues and
investments in Africa."
He also stressed the importance of a "greater integration on
the economic level with a relaunch of expansive growth
policies."
These issues will be discussed over the coming months, he
said, and the debate may not at times be "easy".
He said "we're not interested in models but in relaunching
expansive policies".
Gentiloni said on his arrival at the Digital Summit in
Tallinn that "I hope that the government which will be set up in
Germany will contribute to the drive necessary for growth and
employment policies."
He said the level of collaboration with Chancellor Angela
Merkel "has always been positive".
Gentiloni said ahead of the Tallinn summit that the EU's
response to current issues "must be ambitious".
He said "today is the time for the various European policies
to give themselves a switch-up in ambition".
"I'm convinced we can arrive at steps forward," he said.
Individual EU countries "not only can but must work in
coordination with each other in enhanced cooperation" on a Web
tax in the absence of an agreement among all the EU members,
Gentiloni said.
This is the "sense of the document" that Italy, France,
Germany and Spain "agreed in Paris at the end of August", he
said.
The European Commission, as promised, will present "new
rules for fair taxation and an equal playing field for all" in
the digital field next year and "I think we'll get a deal" at
the ECOFIN, EC President Jean-Claude Juncker said, referring to
Gentiloni's suggestion.
Gentiloni said on Catalonia Friday that "it is clear that we
as countries of the EU respect the laws of every country in our
home and in other people's homes without interfering in their
internal dynamics but referring to current laws".
Catalonia is seeking EU mediation on its banned independence
referendum.
Italy's role is to unite and "keep together" the proposed EU
reforms of European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and
French President Emmanuel Macron, Gentiloni said.
"We must foster the convergence" of the proposals "animated
by (the pair's) European ambitions", he said.
German Chancellor Merkel said after the summit that
"discussions were very intense, based on the speeches by
French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission
President Jean-Claude Juncker, there is ample willingness to
work at the process of reinforcing the Union" and the time is
ripe since "we do not have acute crises" and "growth is
relatively strong".